High Alert
by klutzysunshine
Summary: In the aftermath of Douglas' attack, Donald is on high alert and constantly worried about his family. Tasha tries to talk him down.


**I don't own Lab Rats and never will. No copyright infringement intended.**

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In the aftermath of Douglas' attack and the kids disappearing, Donald couldn't help but be on high alert. Worried about his children and wife all the time, the inventor couldn't even sleep through the night. He was constantly aware of his surroundings and terrified of Douglas returning and ruining their lives again. Taking away his children was up at the top of the list. Losing his lab – and the business – didn't matter if Adam, Bree, Chase, Leo, and Tasha were out of his life. And he had a funny feeling his brother knew that. That was one of the main reasons he invented a very high tech security system to alert them to any intruder. Donald wasn't going to take any chances with his family's safety.

Concerned about her husband, Tasha decided to confront him a few weeks after their lives started to return to normal. "Donald, come sit down."

"I can't. The kids are going to be home any minute." He hated letting them out of his sight – them going to the school was the hardest part of his day – but they needed this normalcy. What if he wasn't there and they got kidnapped?

"You need to stop staring at that door. It's not going to make them come through it any faster. Sit with me, please." She realized she should have said something to him sooner, but Tasha figured he would have calmed down by now. She had clearly been wrong.

He sat down, but kept an eye on the door. "What's up, honey?"

"I know what Douglas did scared you – it scared all of us – but you have to calm down. You're stifling the kids. And they understand just like I do, but stop. They're going to get hurt. Something bad will happen again that you can't stop, but you can't keep an eye on them 24/7. It's not healthy." Tasha rubbed his hand.

He looked down at his feet before his eyes returned to the door. "These are our kids, Tasha, and they got taken away from us. They could have died. What would I have done without any of you?" As cheesy as it was, the five of them were his world. Donald had never expected this to happen all those years ago when he took in Adam, Bree, and Chase, but they had become his family. Tasha and Leo completed it – they had been filled a hole in their hearts none of them knew was there.

"I know. I'm scared of that too, but it comes with the territory of being a parent. I'm sure Douglas will come back, but you'll be prepared for him. He won't catch you off guard next time. He's not going to escape next time – you'll make sure of that. Tell our wild teenagers that you love them, hug them if you need to, but back off. For me. And their patience, okay?" She smiled at him.

Donald sighed, conceding her point. "You're right," he reluctantly admitted. He guessed he just needed to hear this. Constantly being this vigilant was unhealthy, something he had always known, but couldn't admit. But his mind constantly raced about one thing or the other. His sleep was plagued by nightmares, another reason why he wasn't getting much sleep. He had to change his behavior, but it wasn't going to be easy. Donald didn't know how to stop now.

"I'm always right. Now let's go get something to eat. Follow me." Tasha grinned at him, and he followed his wife into the kitchen. He was making a sandwich when the door opened and all four teenagers stepped in. Donald's body sagged in relief when he saw they were all safe and sound. He had to stop himself multiple times to call their cells to check up on them. The fact that the GPS was activated in their phones at all times calmed him down a lot (even if his mind sometimes centered on the fact their cells could have been left behind just to throw him off).

"Hey, you weren't at the door for once!" Leo was in awe. He knew his mom wanted to talk to Big D, but seems like it had actually worked. He was happy about that – the constant clinginess had become a major problem, although he understood the behavior.

"Yeah, I know. I've been a little clingy lately, but that's going to change."

"Really? I kinda liked you being clingy." Adam looked lost and sad, even though he had been annoyed by his father's constant hovering.

"I, for one, am glad. I can't get a boyfriend with you constantly in my face." But Bree hugged her father anyway before getting something to eat out of the fridge.

"I understand what you were experiencing, but yes, thank you for leaving us alone." Chase patted him on the back and joined his sister in looking for something to eat.

"I'm annoying them by being pretty clingy at school," Leo whispered to his father. Like Donald, he had been irrationally worried for weeks. Tasha wondered if the two of them had kept the cycle going by feeding off each other's anxiety. She didn't blame them for it, but she was glad this time in their life was over for the time being. And Leo knew how hypocritical his behavior was, but he was supposed to look out for his siblings' safety.

"Yeah, you need to stop that or I will punch you through the wall," Adam threatened.

"Adam, be nice. But yeah, seriously, stop doing that." Bree couldn't take it anymore. The constant worry was freaking her out. They needed a distraction.

"I'm in agreement with them for once." Chase smiled at them and headed up to his bedroom.

After the lab was destroyed, Donald had moved the children into separate rooms upstairs. He couldn't stand the thought of them being alone in the lab (once it was rebuilt, anyway). Besides, it was time they finally had their own rooms. He just wished he had done it sooner, before all of this had happened. "Well, it's your lucky day."

"Why don't we watch a movie?" Leo was totally up for that. They had been spending a lot more time together as a family (mostly because of Donald, but that was beside the point) and watching a DVD was actually pretty fun.

"Sure." They all sat down on the couch and settled in. As per usual, they fought over what to watch, but Tasha was the one who ultimately decided what to pick. They should have just deferred to her in the first place, but whatever. They had to fight. It was part of their routine and a return to normalcy.

The kids filed off to bed one by one, leaving Donald and Tasha alone. "I look pretty awesome, don't I?"

She laughed. "Well, your ego's back at least. I missed it. Seriously, are you going to be yourself again?"

He looked down at his jeans and played with a hemline for a few seconds. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for talking some sense into me." That was one of the numerous reasons he had fallen in love with her.

"Good. And you're welcome. Now let's go to bed." She headed upstairs, and Donald followed her.

When he couldn't fall asleep, Donald decided to check on the kids just to make sure nothing had happened. That was one thing he didn't think he'd be able to stop, but at least he was pulling back. He checked in on his youngest son first, and sure enough, Leo wasn't sleeping. "What are you still doing up?"

Leo looked up. "I wasn't tired yet. I'll go to bed soon, though."

"Yeah, do that." But he grinned at him and then went to check on the other three. Bree was reading a magazine, but Adam and Chase were both sleeping. Content that nothing was getting in and nobody was going anywhere, Donald returned to bed. "Sorry, Tasha."

"Don't apologize for that. I'm sure you're satisfied now. You can keep checking on them before bed – I do it too." Just not as often, but Tasha wasn't about to tell her husband that.

True to his word, Donald calmed down considerably (something the entire family appreciated), but still worried about them. It was his prerogative as a father, so he honestly didn't care about that. And gradually, life in the Davenport household returned to normal. But Douglas was still out there somewhere, waiting for his chance, and they were prepared for his return.


End file.
